Too Many Words
by imaginationismymuse
Summary: It'll take almost losing her to realize just how much he needs her. It'll take getting lost to realize just how much she needs him. A short story in which a newly turned Katherine shows up in New Orleans and Elijah is once again forced to choose between his brother and the woman he loves. *UNDER CONSTRUCTION: Next chapter is up!*
1. Chapter 1

**Hey, everyone! Here's a little Kalijah for you. If you go to CHAPTER FIVE you'll find the revamped chapters! :) Enjoy them! **

* * *

**Too Many Words**  
**- Sick Puppies**

I've tried to balance these lives that we are living  
You always feel justified but you never feel forgiving  
I woke up one morning to find myself wrapped in the things I swore I'd never touch  
And here I am again trying to save what's left of you and I  
So why aren't you satisfied?

I reached out, fell short  
Now you're hurt, too many words  
Breaking the silence  
I felt it, bled it, screamed it  
It only gets worse  
And it kills me what's in me, too angry for us to survive  
I used too many words tonight

I tried to get it right  
But I was just wastin' my time  
'cause you never compromised when it came to us  
We struggle and fall apart, we build it back to static start  
The endless accusations, I can't believe we made it this far

I reached out, fell short  
Now you're hurt, too many words  
Breaking the silence  
I felt it, bled it, screamed it,  
It only gets worse  
And it kills me what's in me too angry for us to survive  
I used too many words tonight

Waking alone tomorrow, has gotta be better than this

I reached out, fell short  
Now you're hurt, too many words  
Breaking the silence  
I felt it, bled it, screamed it,  
It only gets worse  
I used too many words tonight  
Too many words  
Too many words  
Too many words  
Too many words

* * *

_Part One_

Yeah, coming to New Orleans? It had been a dumb idea. After the Cure was drained from her body, she had gotten a vampire to change her and it had worked. Granted she wasn't as strong as she used to be but she wasn't going to die, she wasn't going to be pathetically human ever again. That's what had frightened Katherine the most, being frail and weak and being unable to defend herself. Never again. She would _not _be that again. It was too close to what she had felt all those years ago when she had found out what Klaus had planned for her. When she'd been human and naïve and weak. _Never _again.

She glanced up at the colonial mansion that was Klaus's new house and hoped to whatever gods existed that he wasn't home, that Elijah was the only one. She walked up the steps and rapped on the door, all the while she fought the near overpowering need to run, to get away. Her every instinct screamed at her for getting this close to Klaus Mikaelson but she had to see _him_. This wasn't for her. This was for him. This was for Elijah. Being human had shown her who she could be, or more who she used to be. It was time to show him. If he let her.

The door opened and Hayley, the werewolf she'd tried to kill, appeared. The first thing Katherine noticed was her stomach, it was swollen and from within it Katherine could hear the fluttering of a faint heartbeat. Pregnant, she realized with no small amount of shock.

Just like she had been. Frightened, alone, _pregnant_.

She bit back the wave of pain as the memories of her daughter resurfaced – Nadia was still in that stupid little town; she had no idea where her mother was, and would probably kill her when she found out – and glanced back at the werewolf, who was doing her best not to seem afraid. She schooled her features into her classical 'Katherine' smirk. _Don't let them see your weakness. _

"Aren't you going to let me in?" she ask, voice arrogant – why did it feel so wrong? This was who she was. Wasn't it?

"No."

Katherine chuckled – it was a mirthless, sarcastic sound – and shoved passed her, heels clicking satisfactorily against the gleaming floorboards. "That wasn't a question, wolf."

"It sure as hell sounded like one," Hayley muttered as she shut the door behind Katherine.

The werewolf eyed the brunette vampire, who was trailing her fingers along a rich mahogany mantel piece, with a wary expression. There was no doubt in her mind that this was Katherine. Elena was too pure, even as a vampire, even when she'd had her humanity turned off. Elena was naïve; Katherine had never been naïve. What is she doing here? Hayley wondered. Is she here for Elijah? She watched as Katherine traced the patterns on the gold frame of one of the paintings hung in the foyer and hoped not. Hayley knew she couldn't compete with Katherine Pierce.

The woman was a force of nature, an enigma, a legend.

"Well, I've got to admire Klaus's taste," Katherine said, smirk still in place. She turned her head a fraction, catching Hayley's eye.

"What do you want, Katherine?" Hayley tried to keep the fear, not for her but for her baby, out of her voice.

Katherine heard it though and her eyes drifted down to the hands that covered Hayley's swollen stomach protectively. Her expression, against her will, softened a fraction. "I'm not here to harm you or the baby, Hayley." Her voice was almost soft, almost kind. "I'm here to talk to Elijah. That's all."

Hayley didn't relax for a second. It was understandable; Katherine _had _tried to kill her once. "He's not here."

"I can wait," Katherine replied and walked into the lounge, settling herself on one of the sofas. "I have all the time in the world."

There was a knock on the door and Katherine frowned, head tilting slightly. She could hear the measured beating of a heart, a vampire's heart. It wasn't Elijah's. It wasn't Klaus's. She knew theirs as well as her own. It _was_ familiar though. Her dark brown eyes widened and she glanced at Hayley, mouthing at her to be quiet. She rose to her feet and with slow, calculated steps approached the front and opened it, leaning against the frame, hand on her hip.

"Marcel," she drawled, "this _is _a pleasant surprise."

His eyes ran over her curves and his lips curved in appreciation. It should've made her feel powerful; instead, she felt dirty. "Katherine Pierce. The feeling's mutual. Can I come in?"

"Afraid not. The master of the house isn't here at the moment." There was steel in her voice, steel that Hayley admired. "I'll tell him you dropped by."

"There's a werewolf here." His voice was hard, aggressive even. "I can smell her."

"That's nice," Katherine said, sounding bored. "And what's your point?"

"Give her to me."

Katherine twirled a piece of chocolate-coloured curl around her finger. "Yeah, I don't think so, Marcel."

His face immediately darkened. "You forget whose city you're in."

There was a crash as Katherine pinned Marcel to the wall, hoping against hope that he hadn't heard of her being cured then remade. "And you _forget_, Marcel, that I'm stronger than you."

With that said, she snapped his neck. His body fell to the floor like a lead ball and her shoulders sagged in relief. That had exhausted her. It was becoming harder to be Katherine Pierce when these stupid human emotions kept creeping in.

Hayley emerged from the lounge, grudging admiration in her eyes. She had never liked her but even Hayley had to admit that Katherine had a flair about her, so unlike her boring, compassionate, moralistic counterpart.

"I knew there was something I liked about you," she said by way of thank you, toeing Marcel's temporarily dead body with the tip of her boot. "Though I must admit you kind of ruined it when you tried to have me killed."

Katherine glanced up at her, worried. "He's not going to be down for long." Her voice was low and urgent. "You need to get out of here. Is there anywhere safe you can go?"

Confused by her odd behaviour, Hayley nodded. "I know a place where vampires can't enter."

"How far away is it?"

"Not far."

Marcel's fingers began to twitch and Katherine all but shoved Hayley out the door, handing her the keys to her car. "Go there and stay there. Don't come back."

The Katherine Pierce in her was yelling at her, asking her what the hell she was doing. What the hell _was _she doing?

She didn't know.

She _should _be getting out of here before anyone realized she was a newborn. But a part of her also told her that she should be helping this poor, pregnant werewolf from becoming a bargaining chip, from becoming embroiled in all this, from becoming like _her_. Katherine had never regretted what she'd become but she would never willingly wish this life on anyone. Except Elena.

"Leave," she ordered again.

Hayley hesitated; there was something odd about Katherine. She wasn't acting like the manipulative, cold-hearted bitch she usually was. "What about you?"

Katherine flashed her a grin, letting her fangs show. "I can take care of myself."

Hayley nodded and moved as fast as her pregnant belly would allow her. Katherine waited until the car had pulled away from the street and the sound had faded into the traffic before she turned back to Marcel. She would stall him as long as she could, as long as it took for Hayley to get away.

Yes, she knew how out of character this was for Katherine Pierce; she didn't care. The name was beginning to fade and the legend was becoming further and further from the truth. Katherine was losing herself. She had always been so sure of who she was, of _what _she was. Now she had no idea and that terrified her.

Marcel gasped and sat up, eyes wide and dazed. She took a deep breath and crossed her arms over her chest, smirking down at him. "Hey there, Sleeping Beauty. Nice nap?"

His head snapped in her direction and, in the blink of an eye, he slammed her into the wall, causing the whole house to shudder and her to gasp. "What the hell did you do, Katherine?"

Katherine shrugged. "I stalled."

"Why are you _helping _Klaus?"

She shoved him off of her, not letting on that it had taken most of her strength to do so. "Why are _you _against him?" she asked, pretending to study her nails. "Didn't he save you from a miserable, painful fate as a slave? Seems a little ungrateful to me."

Marcel growled at her, lunging. She darted out the way but wasn't quite fast enough and his blow sent her crashing onto the hard floor. Blood dripped from her nose, falling onto the wooden floorboards beneath her. It had been a while since someone had managed to do that, to catch her off guard, and she cursed her doppelganger. If she had the time, Katherine would see Elena rot in hell. She had to wait for a moment as her jaw and nose healed then she got to her feet and faced Marcel.

"That was rude," she said, unfazed. She could taste her own blood as it dripped from her nose over her lips.

His hand circled her throat, crushing it until she began to choke. She hadn't even seen him coming at her. "Why are you here, Katherine?"

"Why are _you _here?" she rasped; she wanted to piss him off. "Don't you have a werewolf to try find?"

It worked. His eyes turned red and veins rippled from beneath them. "If you won't tell me," he said, voice cold, "then I'll just have to torture it out of you."

"Bring it," she spat.

"I intend to."

And he snapped her neck.

When Elijah returned home, the first thing he did was call for Hayley. His brow furrowed when he got no reply. Moving through the house as a blur, he checked every room but there was no trace of her. She had been here, not long ago; her scent of forest and gardenia's lingered. Where could she have gone? Perhaps to visit her werewolves in the bayou, or she maybe had convinced Rebekah to take her with.

He was just about to pull out his phone and call Rebekah when he noticed the droplets of blood on the foyer floor. There had been a fight. He crouched down, dipping a finger into one of the small crimson puddles, then brought his fingers to his nose and inhaled. It was the cool, vanilla scent of a vampire's blood. He touched his finger to his tongue and drew in a sharp breath. He would know that taste anywhere; it was Katerina's blood. She had been here. Even as his heart sped up, dread filled him. What had she done?

He whipped out his phone and called Rebekah, who answered on the first ring. _"If you're calling to try convince me to return then you've wasted –"_

"Is Hayley with you?" he interrupted her, hoping against hope that she was.

_"No," _came Rebekah's reply. _"What's going on, Elijah?"_

"Katerina was here," he said through gritted teeth. "Hayley's missing."

There was a brief silence then Rebekah's feral snarl rung in his ears, echoing the monster inside him. It was accompanied by the screech of tires. _"I'm coming and when I find Katherine, I'm going to rip her to shreds. Don't you dare try and stop me, Elijah. Not even _you_ can save her this time."_

His sister hung up. Elijah found himself torn. His heart told him to warn Katerina but his head told him that it was time he let her go. This love for her would destroy him in the end. If it hadn't already.

He straightened as the door swung open and Klaus strode in. From the way his face was set, Elijah could tell he was furious and for a brief, terrifying second Elijah thought he'd already found Katerina.

"Marcel was here," Klaus said, voice colder than ice.

Letting out a breath he hadn't been aware he'd been holding, Elijah gestured to the blood on the floor. "As was Katerina."

Klaus's eyes flashed. "Katerina?" He made her name sound like a curse.

Elijah felt a part of him break; Katerina would die for this. He wouldn't save her, not after this. He couldn't keep forgiving her. "Hayley's missing, Niklaus."

Klaus's face darkened to a storm cloud, lightning snapping in his eyes, as a car pulled up outside the house, headlights hitting the brothers. Klaus and Elijah's heads both snapped in its direction, watching with amazement as Hayley climbed out, hand across her swollen stomach. Elijah was by her side in an instant, hands resting on her shoulders.

She jumped slightly when he appeared then glared at him. "Don't_ do_ that, Elijah."

"Are you or the baby hurt?" he asked, searching her for any injuries.

"I'm fine. _We're _fine."

Klaus appeared beside them and his nostrils flared, veins rippling under his eyes. "This car reeks of Katerina."

"Well, that's because it's her car," Hayley said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Where is she?" Elijah wanted to know, releasing her shoulders.

"Yes," Klaus put in, voice light. "Where is the lovely Katerina? I think she's past her sell-by date."

Hayley shook her head slowly, confusion clouding her face, and her next words told them why. "I know what you're thinking and you've got it wrong. Katherine didn't take me; she _helped _me."

Both brothers blinked at her words. "What?" Elijah finally said, not sounding as composed as he usually would.

"Katherine turned up" – she nodded at Elijah – "asking for you." She saw hope flash across Elijah's face before he hid it. "I told her you were out and she said she'd wait. Then Marcel showed up." Klaus let out a low hiss; his progeny would die for this. "She snapped his neck, gave me her car keys and told me to go."

Elijah just stared at her. Klaus clearly shared the same view and he eyed Hayley sceptically. "Have you been drinking? Because _that_ doesn't sound like Katherine Pierce, sweetheart."

Hayley tossed her dark hair indignantly, chin lifting. "I'm telling the truth, Klaus. Katherine protected me from Marcel."

"Where is she then?" Elijah asked. He was trying to keep his emotions in check but that had always been impossible when it concerned Katerina. "Katerina is older than Marcel and she's a formidable opponent. I doubt he could've taken her against her will."

"Perhaps, you're overestimating our dear Katerina," Klaus said bitterly. "Your fondness for her is clouding your senses."

"She managed to outsmart you for over five-hundred years, Niklaus," Elijah reminded him evenly. "Don't be such a fool as to pretend you don't know what she's capable of."

Klaus shrugged, brushing off his brother's words, a casual smile on his face. "It's not our problem anymore, brother. Let's not fight over it."

"You're _not_ going to help her?" Hayley asked, incredulous. "She savedmy life, Klaus. She didn't have to do that. If she hadn't been here, I would be with Marcel by now." Hayley shuddered at the thought, fingers clutching her stomach tighter.

"If we show an interest in retrieving Katerina, Marcel will have an advantage over us," Klaus told her; out of the corner of his eye, he saw his brother stiffen. He turned to face Elijah and directed his next words at him. "There can be _no _weaknesses in this game we're playing. Is that understood? Elijah?"

Elijah's jaw was tight and his body was rigid but he managed a nod. Klaus, satisfied at this, turned and blurred into the night. Hayley, once she was sure Klaus was out of earshot, laid a hand on Elijah's arm. He glanced down at her. She saw the intention in his eyes and a small smile tugged at her lips.

"You're not going to leave her," she told him.

His lips curved just a little. "I couldn't if I tried. I've never been able to leave Katerina."

Hayley nodded; though it caused a pang in her heart. "I'll cover for you."


	2. Chapter 2

**Here it is, ladies and gentlemen! Part Two! Enjoy and please leave me a little review, just a little one. :P**

* * *

_Part Two_

When Katherine woke, she found herself in a dark, cold room. The walls were made of cement and water dripped from the ceiling, leaving green and black stains on the rough surface. _Typical_, she thought. This was not the first time she had been held in such a room nor did she for a second think it would be the last. Though you could see where Marcel had learned his tricks from. Katherine was tied to a hard, steel chair that sat in the centre of the room beneath a naked bulb, the sole source of light. Steel cuffs held her wrists and ankles to the chair. She tugged at them, hissing when her skin came into contact with vervain. _Yup, so typical and so Klaus._

There were footsteps outside the door and she watched, waiting with baited breath. It swung open, revealing the tall, dark figure of Marcel. He smiled when he saw she was awake.

"You're up."

"Your powers of observation are _incredible_." She wriggled in an attempt to get comfortable, only to be rewarded by the burning of her skin. She sighed. "Where am I, Marcel?"

"Hell."

"Huh, I figured there'd be more fire."

Marcel chuckled, running his fingertips over her hand. "You haven't lost the Petrova fire." He bent down so his eyes could drill into hers. "We'll have to change that, won't we?"

Katherine used all her willpower to make herself stay still and _not _flinch away. She couldn't believe she was _scared. _Since when had she been afraid of anything? Screw that. When had she started saving people? People she didn't even like? This wasn't her; this wasn't Katherine Pierce.

Marcel tilted his head at her. "No witty response? I'm a little disappointed in you."

_Believe me, so am I_, she thought but remained silent. His hand gripped her chin, fingers digging into her skin until she felt her jawbone fracture under his hold. A small whimper escaped her lips and she felt her cheeks flush. What was _wrong _with her? _Get a grip._ Katherine Pierce did not show weakness. Marcel released her jaw and it began to heal with a tingling sensation. She relaxed a little as the pain began to recede, knowing it wouldn't be for long.

"There's something different about you," Marcel mused, circling her like she was his prey. "You _look_ like Katherine, you _smell_ like Katherine, you _act_ like Katherine but you're not quite her. Why is that? What happened?"

He had hit the nail on the head but she refused to let him know that – it was best if he thought her to still be cold-hearted and cunning – and regretted it when a second later his fist connected with her face, blinding her in her left eye.

"Answer me," Marcel ordered, voice like ice.

"Bite me," she spat.

He hit her again with enough force that her head whipped to the side but this time she remained silent. The purple bruising was immediate as was the vicious red skin where he'd broken her cheekbone and nose. More blood dripped onto her lips and down her chin. He moved in front of her and reached out to wipe some blood from her lips. Katherine craned her head as far out of his reach as possible. She didn't want him to touch her; the idea made her skin crawl. He drew his fingers into his mouth, grinning as the intoxicating taste of Katherine's doppelganger blood touched his tongue.

"You taste as good as the legends say, princess."

"I try," she snapped sarcastically.

The vision in her left eye slowly came back into focus and she blinked rapidly as if it would speed up the process. His hand clamped down on her forearm and with a clench of his fingers, he broke the bone. Katherine coughed, buckling forward, causing her wrists to rub against the vervain. The scent of her sizzling skin filled her nose and her stomach turned._  
_

"I can do this all day, Katherine."

Katherine let out a short burst of laughter; she couldn't help it. "You think there's something you can do to me that hasn't been done before? I'm _Katherine Pierce._ Who are _you_, Marcel?"

That angered him and he showed it by shoving a stake through her stomach. Her moan of pain was music to his ears and horror to hers. Where had that stake come from? She hadn't even seen it coming.

He released the stake, leaving it embedded in her, and ran his eyes over her. She was as beautiful and desirable and irresistible as the rumours said, even bruised, battered, and covered in blood. Klaus had spoken of her often when he had been drinking. He spoke of her beauty, of her fire and, most of all, of her betrayal. Katherine Pierce was without a doubt the most dangerous woman on the planet, even according to an Original hybrid.

"Klaus used to speak to me of you," he said without thinking.

She, even through the blistering pain, managed a smirk; Marcel was impressed despite himself. "I'm sure he did."

He tapped the edge of his chin with his middle finger, expression thoughtful. "I wonder what Klaus would do to get his hands on you, princess. Five hundred years is a long time to be chasing someone."

Katherine stilled, her fear ignited. There was no hiding it now. All at once, in a sudden rush, she regretted her rash decision to come here. Her breath came in and out in short, rapid gasps. The panic was all consuming but she could not bring herself to regret saving Hayley's life. What she regretted was that she had put herself within sniffing distance of Klaus in the first place, within sniffing distance of the drama that always unfolded around him.

Now she was going to be handed over to the one man who she feared more than death.

It had been five-hundred years of running, of killing and lying and manipulating to survive and now it all boiled down to how much one man could gain by trading her to another. Is that all her life could be summed up as? A bargaining chip. A piece of property. A doppelganger.

Her attention was dragged away from her pathetic existence, and its impending end, by the sudden twisting of the stake still embedded in her stomach. Because she had not been concentrating, the action caught her by surprise and she could not contain the pained cries that flooded from her lips nor could she prevent the tears that welled in her eyes. She refused to let them fall though; Katherine Pierce did _not _cry, not even when she had nothing left.

"There's something I want to know before I send someone to fetch Klaus," Marcel said, fingers playing with the edge of the stake.

"Oh?" she rasped, somehow managing to sound sarcastic even though black spots were appearing in her vision. God, she was starving. "And what would that be?"

"I want to know why you haven't escaped yet."

She arched an eyebrow. "In case you haven't noticed, there's a stake through my stomach, vervain on the chair, and I haven't had blood for about a day. I'm not exactly at my best, Marcel."

"Even so." His fingers tightened around the edge of the stake and wrenched it out, causing her groan. "I expected more from you. From what I remember, getting out of these situations are your forte."

Katherine turned her face to the side, not wanting to see him. How could she tell him that she _wasn't _that person anymore?

* * *

She had been in his hands for three days now. In reality, three days isn't a long time but for her it was longer than all her five hundred and something years. It was three days without sunlight on her skin or fresh air on her tongue. That was three days without blood in her stomach or running through her veins. That was three days without being parallel to the ground, without a comfortable night's sleep. That was three days of torture.

Marcel hadn't called Klaus, though he promised he would. That hung over her like a cold, menacing shadow. She avoided thinking about it, avoided imagining what Klaus would do when he got his hands on her because if she did, she would break and she couldn't do that. Her integrity wouldn't allow it. Her sense of pride refused it. If she broke, she would truly lose all sense of who she was. She would fall into that black abyss she'd been avoiding for as long as she could remember. Katherine Pierce was all she had now and she held onto her.

It was hard though, harder than it ever had been. All Katherine wanted to do for the first time in over five hundred years was curl into a ball and sob, and sob, and sob until all this fear and pain and hurt that she carried inside of her was washed away. All she wanted was to be weak and she wanted someone to be there for her, wanted someone to pull her into warm, safe arms, to protect her.

She wanted Elijah.

A small, almost imperceptible gasp slipped out. How could she have thought that? Elijah had left her, chosen Klaus over her. He cared for her but he didn't love her. He respected her but something told her that, no matter what she did, he would never trust her.

And you know what? She didn't blame him.

* * *

Four days. It had been four days of endless searching, of following every lead he could find and still he was nowhere closer to finding where Marcel was keeping Katerina. It was becoming exceedingly difficult to keep this from Klaus, who was already watching him like a hawk, waiting for him to step out of line so he could put him in his place.

Hayley was doing her best to distract his brother and sister. He had considered telling Rebekah but had decided against it. His sister hated Katerina more than anyone else on this earth; she would not support the decision to rescue her. Rebekah would believe that Katerina deserved what was happening to her.

To some degree, his little sister was right. Katerina had engineered her own fate, caused her own suffering and she had deserved all of it but not this time. This time the torture befalling her – and he knew Marcel would torture her – was born out of a good deed she had done. She had taken Hayley's place. She had sacrificed herself for someone else.

Now, whether it was because she saw Hayley much like herself – a young girl, pregnant and afraid – and that had woken in her some instinct to protect her or whether there was another selfish motive Katerina had, Elijah didn't know. All he knew was that he had to find her. Katerina deserved to be punished for the things she'd done but not this time. This time she had done the right thing.

And, he missed her.

He hadn't realized how much until now, until he realized how close she was and how much she needed him. And how much he needed her, needed to know she was alive, needed to feel her breath fanning his face and her heart drumming against his chest. Her face was on repeat in his head, tormenting him.

That last day she had been human all those year ago.

Her face when he had compelled her to stay in that tomb.

The way she had pleaded with him to run away with her.

Her face when he had refused.

Elijah ran a hand through his hair. A rare, uncontrolled movement for him. Katerina did that to him. She took his controlled, precise world and shattered it like it was made of glass. And she did so without so much as lifting a finger.

He had to find her, or die trying.

His cellphone rang and Elijah held it to his ear. "Yes?"

_"I found her."_

He was already moving towards the door. "Where is she?"

* * *

There was a routine, a method he employed. She would be tortured and it could go on for hours as Marcel – it was always him, never anyone else – questioned her. It was the same ones he'd asked in the beginning. Why was she here? Why was she on Klaus's side? Why hadn't she escaped? Katherine Pierce could've answered all those question but _she _couldn't, or wouldn't. She didn't know which.

So it was a usual morning – at least, she assumed it to be morning but there were no windows in her prison so she couldn't be sure – when an arrow, a thick, blunt one used in a crossbow, embedded itself in her collarbone. It shattered the bone and tore her from her fitful slumber with a scream that made her own ears hurt. Her eyes snapped open and she bit her lip, drawing fresh blood to mingle with the stale, as she tried to keep the tears from falling. One tracked a bloody path down her face.

"Rise and shine, Katherine," Marcel greeted her warmly, like she was his friend. "How did you sleep?"

Katherine just glared at him through wet eyes. There wasn't much else she could do. It had been close to five days since she'd last fed and her newborn vampire body was already beginning to shut down. She could barely manage to raise her head let alone try think of some snapping response that would only serve to amuse him. It wasn't worth her energy. She was, for the moment, at Marcel's mercy.

"Still nothing? Well, I have to admit that –"

There was a commotion from outside the door, a series of yelling, the snapping of bones, the vibrations as bodies hit the hard, unyielding ground. Katherine's eyes locked on the door and she prayed to whatever god existed that someone was here to get her out of here. She didn't know how much more of this she could take.

Marcel sighed. "Fun's over, princess. The cavalry's here."

The door was kicked down and there, silhouetted by the lights coming from the other room, stood Elijah. Her breath caught in her throat as his eyes – those mesmerizing, intense eyes – met hers. He hadn't changed much; he still wore a suit – and still looked as suave and serious in it as he had when she'd last seen him – but now his face was set in a tight, controlled mask. He took her breath away, made her heartbeat race, and her skin flush with heat.

He made her feel.

Elijah was close to snapping, close to losing the control he so prided himself in. The moment he had laid eyes on her the need to rip Marcel's heart out grew into a roaring that echoed through his head. Katerina looked positively fragile manacled to that chair, skin pale from lack of feeding, clothes and skin stained with crimson. The smooth piece of wood embedded in her shoulder, the sound of her short, thin breaths and the worse crime of all, the tears in her coffee-brown eyes.

"Marcellus," he greeted the younger vampire in that cool, even voice of his, never taking his eyes off her.

Marcel opened his arms in a gesture of welcome. "Elijah, what can I do for you?"

"I am here to request the release of Katerina."

The way he said it made it clear that it was not a request but an order, one he expected to be obeyed. Marcel, to his credit, managed not to seem frightened; a notion Katherine found to be very, very stupid. It was always wise to fear an Original.

"Elijah, how am I meant to believe that when my friends lie dead in the room behind you?"

Elijah glanced at the younger vampire, unimpressed. "You will release her, Marcellus, or you will die."

His words left no room for arguments; it was either his way or die. Marcel gave another sigh and walked over to where she sat. Katherine pushed back in the chair, keeping as far away from him as she possibly could. It was an instinctive reaction, a weak one, and she once again cursed herself for letting that weakness become known. _Don't let them know your fear, Katherine_, she chanted to herself. He flipped open the manacles around her wrists and she hissed as the vervain ate away at her skin. Marcel crouched down to release her ankles then straightened and took a step back, folding his hands behind his back.

"Off you go, princess," he said, though Katherine could hear the bitterness in his tone.

She eyed him, unsure of his intentions. He had invested a lot of time in her and she doubted he intended to let her walk away this easily. The fact that Elijah was here eased her fears for she knew he would protect her – he always had – but something in Marcel's eyes wouldn't let her banish those fears completely.

"Katerina."

Her attention snapped back to Elijah. Katherine clutched the chair's armrests and with a great deal of effort she pushed herself onto her feet. Her muscles screamed after being cramped in one position for so long. As soon as she was up, one hand left the chair and her fingers circled around the smooth piece of wood lodged in her collarbone. Taking a deep breath, she pulled it out and dropped it onto the floor, fighting the waves of dizziness with all she had. She would _not _pass out.

All this time Elijah's eyes never left her and as she began to move towards him, limbs trembling at the effort to keep herself upright, he couldn't help but notice something different about her. Even in extreme situations Katherine Pierce never showed weakness, never showed any signs that she was scared or that whatever pain inflicted on her affected her in any way. She was the epitome of strength in hard times. That was not so now. Her fear she tried to hide, and it almost worked except for the way her eyes darted nervously around the room, but her pain showed through as plain as day. It was unlike her.

She reached him after what seemed like an age and when she did, she almost collapsed. His hand blurred out to grip her shoulder, mindful of her healing bones, and held her up. Katherine allowed him to as she regained her strength, gritting her teeth as she fought the heaviness of her limbs. His fingers were gentle, brushing over her skin where the neckline of her shirt ended in an almost imperceptible movement. It set her skin alight.

When she shrugged him off, it was just as much for her self-preservation as for her dignity. She would _not _depend on him. She had already done that twice, and both times she had been betrayed.

Elijah did not fight her on it; they would do that later. He removed his hand and shifted so she was behind him, between her and Marcel. He nodded at Marcel, who was watching Katherine. Elijah frowned. He did not like the way Marcel stared at her, with such lust in his eyes. His face darkened and he once again shifted, moving so that Katherine was obscured from Marcel's view. It seemed, without even intending to, Katherine had snared another man in her web.

"Your cooperation is much appreciated," Elijah said in that same cool, even tone.

Marcel chuckled; it was a dark, insincere sound and Elijah felt Katherine flinch behind him. It took all his self-control and then some not to rip Marcel's head off his shoulders. Elijah slid his hands into the pockets of his slacks, drawing them into hard fists in an attempt to control himself.

"Do I get a reward?" Marcel asked, a poor choice of timing to attempt to lighten the atmosphere.

"Your reward is that I am not going to kill you." Elijah's voice had dipped in temperature. "But if you come near her again, I will not hesitate to end you. Are we clear, Marcellus?"

"_Crystal_."

* * *

Katherine winced as she stepped out into the harsh sunlight and lifted a hand to cover her eyes. Elijah's fingernails dug into the palm of his hands as he saw just how pale her skin was. There was still evidence of vervain burns across her wrist. She wasn't healing as fast as she should. Her ankles had been spared thanks to her black jeans, which clung to her long legs – made longer by the heeled booties she was wearing – like a second skin. He was distracted by that for a second and leaned back slightly to appraise her clothes. She wore a plain, long-sleeved shirt the colour of slate. Well, it had been slate. Now it was torn and stained red with blood.

Elijah had to look away from her.

Not because of the blood or her injuries but because of what her face did to him. Even when her lips, nose and chin were caked with blood. Even when her hair was mussed, curls in a wild disarray around her face. She was still so mesmerizing; those dark eyes, that smooth skin, those full lips. He shook his head, ordering himself to get a grip.

"You came." Her voice, like music, pulled him from his thoughts.

He glanced at her and swallowed hard. She seemed so vulnerable right now; he could see the tears that lurked, ones that she refused to let fall. "Of course."

She looked down at her hands and said in a quiet voice, "I didn't think you would."

"I always do."

Her eyes flickered to his and held. They stood there in silence, drinking in the sight of each other as though years had passed and not mere months, a trivial thing to a vampire. Something was different about her, something had happened, something that went beyond this incident with Marcel. Elijah could see it now in the sunlight; that shadow in her eyes. He wanted to ask but knew he had no right to. He had left her. He had lost his right to know what was going on in her life.

Katherine found herself drowning. He was watching her as if he couldn't get enough of the sight of her. It made her painfully aware of how dead she had felt when he left and how alive she felt now that he was back. Katherine knew that he saw something different in her but he didn't ask and she didn't volunteer the information. Her recent return to vampire status had left her hilariously unequipped to deal with the present situation. When she had been a vampire of over five hundred years then she could've stood tall, stood proud. Now she found it hard to stand at all, the floor seemed to be disappearing from beneath her.

Literally, the floor was disappearing.

Her legs began to shake and Katherine glanced down at them, confused. She looked back up at Elijah and opened her mouth but didn't get the chance to say anything as her legs gave out. She didn't hit the ground though. An arm wrapped around her waist and she was caught against a hard body. It took her a second to comprehend what was happening. She was _in _Elijah's arms and it felt so right, like she had never left them.

"What's wrong with you?" he murmured, and his lips brushed over her hair. Katherine shivered at the sensation. "You're not yourself."

"I haven't fed in five days." She managed to sound snarky. Thank God, she hadn't lost it completely. "What do you _think's_ wrong with me?"

His hands slid up her arms and onto her shoulders as he leaned back to study her face. "There's something else isn't there?" Katherine bit her lip and broke eye contact; she couldn't tell him. It was too painful. He gave her shoulders a gentle shake. "Katerina, what happened to you?"

"I don't want to talk about it," she whispered, fighting back the wave of tears. "Elijah, please."

This time he listened to her plea.

* * *

**Well, there it is! I hope it wasn't too disappointing, my lovelies. :) **


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey, guys! Thanks for making it this far... seriously, it's just the boost I need seeing how many people have read my story! :D Also, I'm kind of skipping the whole confrontation with Klaus because a) it's been done and everyone knows what will happen, and b) because I don't think it's necessary. Katherine and Klaus will have their own screen time to talk through some of their issues and they'll make a 'peace' with each other. Do not worry about that!**

**To guest reviewer Alice: Thanks so much for seeing that! I don't understand why people hate Hayley. She's similar to Katherine and, honestly, she suits Elijah just as well. It's Celeste I never liked! I understand the disappointment that Kalijah won't be because poor ol' Katherine was dragged to Hell (so unfair, if you ask me) but I'm not going to hate Hayley because of it. Though I would appreciate it if Elijah could have had at least one episode to grieve and lose it a bit after finding out that Katherine is dead... That would've been nice.**

**Anyways, happy reading, my lovelies, and leave me a little note as to what you think! I love them like I love Elijah shirtless! :P**

* * *

_Part Three_

It had been a week since Elijah had rescued her from Marcel and it hadn't been the worst week of her life. Not the best but definitely not the worst.

Klaus had... not forgiven her, not by a long shot, but he wasn't going to kill her. Not yet anyway. Katherine knew it had nothing to do with what she did but more with Elijah and Hayley. That didn't mean Klaus was nice to her though, didn't mean there was anything less to fear from him, didn't mean she could stop looking over her shoulder. That was okay though. She was used to it.

She and Elijah had barely spoken more than three words to each other. Katherine didn't know what to say. She wasn't Katherine and she wasn't Katerina. She didn't know who she was anymore. She was confused and weak and she wanted him with every fibre of her being but something held her back.

His decision.

When it came down to it, Elijah had chosen his family. Katherine didn't blame him but she had to think of herself, think of whether or not she could take being left over and over again. She didn't think she could. Coming to New Orleans had been a long shot, a sort of dare to herself to prove she could but now she was regretting it. Even without the words spoken, her heart was breaking all over again.

There was a knock on the door and Katherine turned from the window she'd been staring out. Some part of her hoped it was Elijah on the other side of that door. "Come in."

The door opened and Rebekah stepped into the room. Immediately Katherine stiffened. Rebekah, like her elder brother, had made no secret of her dislike for the doppelganger. This was the first time Rebekah had approached her though and it made Katherine nervous.

"What are you doing here, Rebekah?"

"This is my house," Rebekah drawled. "I can go wherever I like. I don't need to give a reason, least of all to you."

Katherine's eyes narrowed slightly but she did not rise to the bait. The blonde Original was looking for a reason to hurt her and Katherine would be damned if she gave it to her that easily. Rebekah Mikaelson wanted to play this game? Huh. She was going up against the one who invented it. She went back to looking out the window, watching the people stroll pass, smiles on their faces as they lived their happy, normal, mortal lives. Pathetic. And strangely, irrevocably tempting.

Rebekah seemed disappointed. "You're no fun anymore," she whined.

Katherine snorted. "My apologies, Rebekah, if I don't feel like being your chew toy at the moment."

"That's a darn shame."

Katherine turned to her and gave a careless shrug. "Maybe another time."

Rebekah tilted her head, studying the woman who had captivated so many, including her eldest brother. There was beauty there – no point in denying it – but nothing else, nothing but coldness and hardness. She shook her head. "I don't see it."

"Don't see what?" Katherine asked somewhat snippily. _What does she want?_

"The appeal." Rebekah waved a hand in the air. "I don't see what makes _you _so special."

"Neither do I," Katherine admitted without thinking. She ran a hand over her face and groaned. "What's wrong with me?"

"Aside from being a manipulative, cold-hearted bitch?"

"That's the problem," Katherine muttered with a shake of her head. "I'm _not _that anymore and I want to be but... I can't."

Rebekah sat down on Katherine's bed, eyeing the doppelganger curiously. "Let's pretend for a second that I believe you." Katherine rolled her eyes. "Why would you want to be someone everyone hates?"

"Because it's easier." Katherine raked her fingers through her hair, messing the perfect curls. "The only reason I've lived this is long is because I've been a – what did you say again? Ah yes – a manipulative, cold-hearted bitch."

"And what changed?" Rebekah asked.

A curtain came down over Katherine's face and she faced the window again, staring with blank features at the people below. "The usual."

"Well, let's assume you're telling the truth here –"

"Which I am," Katherine pointed out.

"Whatever. I'd tell you that being weak with friends is a heck of a lot better than being strong with none." Rebekah gave a cold chuckle. "I mean look at Elena. She's weak but she's happy." Katherine's fists tightened into balls. An action that didn't go unnoticed by Rebekah. "Still hate her, huh? Jealous she got Stefan and Damon?"

"Stefan and Damon?" Katherine tried not to laugh. "I never loved those boys. Cared for them maybe but I didn't love them. I'm _jealous_ because she got the happiness I want. And what did I get? I got that stupid –" Katherine broke off suddenly, clenching her fists so hard she broke the skin.

"You got that stupid what?" Rebekah pushed. It wasn't that she cared but no one else was at home and she had nothing better to do than bug the doppelganger.

"Go bother someone else, won't you? I've had enough soul searching for one day."

"You don't get to order me around," Rebekah snapped.

"You're right," Katherine said with a sneer, turning to face the blonde Original. "Klaus is your master, isn't he?"

Rebekah slammed Katherine into the wall, causing the whole house to shudder. Katherine hissed, feeling blood trickle down her neck. "And to think I _almost _believed your pathetic little story."

"Don't worry," Katherine rasped as Rebekah's hand closed around her throat, nails digging into her neck. "It's a common mistake."

"You think you're so clever, Katherine?" Rebekah snarled. "You think you're better than everyone else? Well, I have news for you, sweetheart. You're nothing but an orphaned peasant from Bulgaria. No one will miss you when you're dead."

"I had a family to miss me," Katherine spat, shaken by Rebekah's words and the memories they brought with them. "Your brother massacred them."

"Because you betrayed him."

Katherine let out a harsh laugh. "How quick you all are to judge me, to put the blame on me. What would you have done, Rebekah, if you'd found out that you were to be sacrificed in some ritual? Would you go like a lamb to the slaughter, or would you have done what I did?"

"Unlike you, Katherine, I'm not a coward."

"You don't think so?" Katherine sneered at her. "I'm sorry then, Rebekah. I'm _not_ brave like you. I'm sorry that I was just a scared young girl who was going to be killed because I was born with _this _face, with _her _face. You're right though. Running _was _cowardly. I should've let them slaughter me."

Rebekah opened her mouth, shut it just as fast. She had never thought of it that way. She had only heard her brothers' side, only heard of Katherine's betrayal. She had never imagined what Katherine must have felt like. Alone. Terrified. To be sacrificed for something she had no control over. A shudder ran through her and, for the first time ever, she pitied the doppelganger. Not Elena. Elena had people who cared for her. Katherine had had no one. She'd been alone and scared, thrust into a world of vampires without anyone ever explaining it to her. Rebekah released her and took a step back. Katherine slid down the wall, taking large gulps of air.

"I didn't want to die, Rebekah," she whispered. "That was all."

"Was this really the better option though?" Rebekah asked. "You've spent your whole life running and you'll spend the rest of it running as well. Nik will never stop and Elijah can't protect you forever."

Katherine sighed and leaned her head back against the wood paneled wall. "I've often wondered the same thing."

She felt Rebekah join her on the floor. The pair sat in silence for a while until Katherine's throat healed and her breathing became normal, and until Rebekah could form her mouth around words she doubted anyone had ever said to the young woman sitting beside her.

"I'm sorry for what happened to your family, Katherine. No one deserves that."

"And I'm sorry Klaus is your brother. No one deserves _that_."

Rebekah tilted her head to the side and gave Katherine a small smirk. "There's the Katherine I know and hate."

Katherine chuckled weakly. "Glad to know she's still in here."

* * *

When Elijah arrived home, he found Katerina, Hayley and Rebekah in the kitchen. Hayley was snacking on an apple, Rebekah was sipping a glass of white wine and – the sight that surprised him the most – Katerina stood over the stove, stirring a pot of soup. He inhaled and the rich aroma filled his nostrils. It smelled divine. Rebekah spotted her brother standing in the doorway and waved at him.

"Elijah," she greeted him.

Katherine glanced up when she heard Rebekah say his name and his eyes ran over her face. Her cheeks were slightly flushed and shining from the heat of the stove. The humidity had caused her carefully styled hair to fall into the waves he remembered her having all those years ago. Her makeup wasn't as heavy as usual but to him that made her even more beautiful. She was more _real _without makeup, less of the facade. When she ducked her head in a quick, shy movement, his heart caught in his throat.

Rebekah tried not to grin at her brother's dazed expression. "Elijah." She snapped her fingers in the air in front of his face. He blinked. "Are you going to stand there gaping all night or are you going to join the fun?"

"Forgive me," he said, stepping into the room. "I'm just a little surprised to find you all in the same room. And that said room is in one piece."

"Katherine's cooking me dinner," Hayley told him. "Since everyone else around here seems to forget I'm eating for two."

Katherine offered Hayley a smile, not a smirk, a _smile, _one that almost reached her eyes. "I know what's it's like to be pregnant." _And alone. And scared._

"I wouldn't eat it though," Rebekah sniped. It wasn't mean though. In fact, to Elijah, it sounded like his sister was _teasing._ "It's probably poisoned."

"Oh can it, Rebekah," Katherine retorted in the same manner. "As if you could do better."

Rebekah snorted. "Please, I'm a thousand years old."

Hayley caught the surprise on Elijah's face as he watched his sister and the woman he loved bicker, like they were, not friends exactly, but not enemies. Hayley got up and walked – more like waddled – over to him, nudging his side with her elbow.

"It's weird, right?"

"Weird," Elijah echoed, "is an understatement."

"What's weird?" Rebekah asked, distracted for a moment.

"I merely find it odd that you and Katerina are not at each other's throats."

"We've done that already," Rebekah said flippantly. "We reached an understanding. Remind me to punch Nik in the face when he gets home."

Elijah raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Because he's a narcissistic prick, Elijah, and it seems I'm the only one with enough balls to do it." Rebekah glanced at the clock that hung above the stove and stood up, slapping her hands together. "Come on, Hayley, baby needs a nap."

Hayley rolled her eyes but allowed Rebekah to guide her out of the kitchen. Elijah studied Katherine, who was staring at the bubbling pot of soup as though it were the most fascinating thing she had ever seen. She wore a pair of dark skintight jeans and an empire-waist shirt the colour of crushed raspberries. Her feet were encased in her usual pair of black stilettos that made her legs seem endless and as she reached up to pull her curls into a loose bun at the base of her neck, Elijah felt his pulse jump. To look at her was to want her.

And he wanted.

"I didn't know you cooked."

"You pick up a few things over the years," she replied, sprinkling a pinch of salt into the thick, bubbling liquid. "Cooking relaxes me."

"How so?"

Katherine glanced at him, brow furrowing slightly. "Why do you want to know?"

Because the urge to reach out and smooth down the wrinkle between her eyes was so strong, Elijah busied himself pouring a liberal amount of wine into a glass. "I'm just curious. You never told me you could cook."

"I might've," Katherine said stiffly, "if you'd stuck around longer."

"Katerina –"

"Don't, Elijah," she interrupted quickly. "Just… just forget I said anything."

Elijah sighed. Why was she avoiding this? "We're going to have to discuss this at some point. I would prefer to do it sooner rather than later."

"There's nothing to talk about," Katherine said, setting the lid on the pot and wiping her hands on a dish towel. "You chose your family over me. I get it. I would choose mine too."

Except that she hadn't, Nadia had no idea where she was. _I have to call her. Explain why I left. _Katherine had just found her daughter and she had no intention of losing her. She'd done that once before and it had almost been the death of her.

The brush of fingers across her cheek brought her back to reality and she started as she found Elijah standing in front of her, so close that when she breathed out her chest brushed against his. Her emotions went into overdrive. His fingers on her skin. His chest against hers. His cool, mint-fresh breath fanning her face. It was all too much. She hadn't felt this much since she was… no, she wouldn't think of it. To think it would be to admit it was true. To admit it was true was to sign herself to a life of tormenting guilt.

So she stepped back, away from Elijah and away from her feelings.

"I… I can't do this again." She swallowed hard. "I don't deserve to be first, Elijah," she continued in a small voice. "I know that but I don't think I can take being tossed aside again."

Before he could say a word, she was gone in a flash of dark curls and the scent of rain, vanilla, and cinnamon. Elijah shoved his hand into the pocket of his slacks and tried to ignore the painful hole that had just been ripped through his chest. Her words were true, brutally so in fact. Katerina would never be second and she, despite what she thought, deserved to be first. He was depriving her of her happiness, and she was depriving him of his. This love would be their destruction. There were too many words they'd left unspoken.

"You know for the smart brother, you're an idiot," Rebekah commented from doorway.

He picked up his glass of wine and took a sip. "I've told you before that you don't have a smart brother."

"But this time I don't understand why you don't go after her. You're clearly still smitten."

"I can't, Rebekah." He sounded broken, even to him. "I will not abandon this family, not even for her."

"This family – if that's even what we are – deserves to be abandoned." Rebekah held up her hand to quell his protests. "You deserve happiness too, big brother."

"My happiness lies in this family working out," Elijah replied.

"Then you're going to be miserable for an eternity." Rebekah laid a hand on his arm. "You know, I'd never considered how it must have been for her. All alone, set to die so someone else could become invincible. A part of me is so ashamed of what you and Nik did to that poor girl." She felt Elijah stiffen beneath her fingers. "She _deserves _happiness, as do you. For once do something selfish. God knows, it's your turn." Her lips curved. "I won't hold it against you… for too long."

* * *

Katherine was sobbing, honest to God sobbing. The tears streamed down her face in unrelenting torrents. She could hardly see where she was going. She didn't know where she was. The trees around her seemed to blur into one green mass. All she knew was that she had to get away. Coming here had been a mistake. Elijah would never choose her over his family. It had been a foolish notion to think that the change she felt in her would be enough to sway him.

She was never going to be enough.

She needed someone, someone to hold her, someone who wouldn't leave her because of her mistakes. Slowing to a walk, Katherine wiped at her tear-stained skin then reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone to call the one person who might just do that for her.

_"Hello?" _the familiar Bulgarian accent answered.

"Nadia," Katherine whispered. "It's me."

_"Mother." _Nadia's voice was cold; she was angry. _"I cannot believe you left without me." _Katherine's breath hitched as she tried to swallow her sobs. Nadia heard this and her tone became concerned. _"Are you alright?"_

"No." Katherine slumped onto a fallen tree trunk. It felt good to admit it. "I'm not alright. I tried to fix something that couldn't be. I… I need you."

_"Where are you?" _Nadia asked immediately, though she could guess. _"I will come."_

"New Orleans." Katherine closed her eyes. "Nadia, thank you. I know I don't deserve this."

_Just like I thought. _Nadia had guessed that her mother had gone to New Orleans for Elijah. It had obviously not ended well._ "Despite everything, I care about you."_

She hung up and Katherine found herself alone again."I care about you too," Katherine whispered to the dial tone. _And that's why I'm sorry for asking you to come here. _Katherine had never wanted her daughter anywhere near Klaus.

"Katerina."

His voice made her jump and she was on her feet in less than a second. Elijah stood in the shadows, watching her with an indeterminable expression on his face. Katherine tucked her phone back into her pocket and folded her arms across her chest.

"Eavesdropping is rude."

He inclined his head. "I apologise."

"Cut the gentleman crap, Elijah," she snapped. "I'm not in the mood for it."

Elijah nodded and waved his hand out. "May I ask who Nadia is?"

Katherine stiffened, stifling the urge to flash her teeth at him. "No."

"She seems to care for you."

"She does. More than I deserve."

He took in her tear-stained face, angry, broken eyes, and pursed lips. This was not the Katherine Pierce he knew. This wasn't Katerina Petrova either. "What happened to you, Katerina?"

Something snapped inside her.

She'd had enough.

She wanted to hurt him, wanted him to know he had failed her, wanted him to know he had been _wrong_.

"Your _precious_, _innocent _Elena happened to me. She shoved the Cure down my throat." He jerked and triumph surged through her. "I was _human_, Elijah; vulnerable, pathetic, and human. You would've _loved_ it," she bit out, sarcasm dripping from her words, "but you weren't there."

He reached for her. "Katerina –"

"I'm not finished," she hissed, taking a step back. The tears trickled down her cheeks. "My blood became the Cure and they fed me to Silas so he could be killed. I was drained dry. Elena and Damon just _watched._ Ironic, huh?" She let out a bitter laugh. "Now I'm _weak_." Her voice cracked and her whole body trembled. "I can't defend myself anymore." She stumbled back a step. "Oh God. No… _No_."

She felt strong arms wind around her. One circled her waist, another hooked under her shoulder blades, and a hand fastened itself to the back of her neck. Her face was tucked into the crook of Elijah's neck. Katherine didn't think to question it; she wasn't strong enough and she needed this, needed him. She pressed herself against his hard body, fisting handfuls of his suit jacket in her fingers, tugging him closer. She needed to be comforted and his arms were the safest, warmest place she could think of.

Elijah felt his control tear with every sob that wracked her body. He felt every shiver that coursed through her and his guilt magnified with each one. His Katerina had been human; she'd been vulnerable and he hadn't been there to protect her. Just like he hadn't been the first time, all those years ago. Only this time she hadn't managed to escape. This time she'd died. He'd nearly lost her. His arms tightened around her fragile frame. He hadn't protected her. He hadn't believed she needed it. He'd never been so wrong.

"I'm sorry," he murmured into her hair, running his fingers through the silken strands. "I'm so, so sorry, Katerina."

Katherine pulled her head back to meet his gaze and he felt the full force of her beauty. The tears hanging like diamonds from the edge of her long eyelashes. The sorrow and hope in those deep brown irises. The breath that rushed between full, naked lips. Her hair had come out of its bun at some point and it curled wildly around her face. She'd never looked more like the innocent peasant girl she'd been all those years ago.

"I can forgive you," she whispered, tugging him closer. "I can put this all behind me. Just don't leave me again, Elijah. I don't want to be alone. I _can't_ be alone."

He rested his forehead against her and breathed in her scent. "You have my word, Katerina. I will not leave you again."

They stood like that for a while, just staring into each other's eyes. It was almost like they'd never been apart.

"Elijah," Katherine whispered, lips brushing over his. "There's something you should know."

"Later," he breathed against her lips, their gazes held. "We have forever."

Their lips connected and the world spun as everything fell into place.

* * *

**Okay, my inner fangirl is dying right now! I so wished that something similar had happened. I wish Katherine had gone to New Orleans and hadn't been dragged to hell. I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing! Next one will be up as soon as possible, my darlings. :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey, everyone. After this chapter will all the renewed chapters and then I'll eventually delete the old one and just have the new chapters. :) Until then, enjoy everything that comes after this, and before if you're so inclined. :P**


	5. Chapter 5

**So, here it is! The promised first revamped chapter of _Too Many Words_. I apologize for it taking so long but life caught up with me and I've had little time for anything else. If you've read my oneshot _Reflection_ then you'll recognize the beginning. _Reflection _was going to be the beginning for _Too Many Words _but it didn't fit. Anyways, enjoy this and there will be more to come!  
**

* * *

**Too Many Words****  
- Sick Puppies  
**  
I've tried to balance these lives that we are living  
You always feel justified but you never feel forgiving  
I woke up one morning to find myself wrapped in the things I swore I'd never touch  
And here I am again trying to save what's left of you and I  
So why aren't you satisfied?

I reached out, fell short  
Now you're hurt, too many words  
Breaking the silence  
I felt it, bled it, screamed it  
It only gets worse  
And it kills me what's in me, too angry for us to survive  
I used too many words tonight

I tried to get it right  
But I was just wastin' my time  
'cause you never compromised when it came to us  
We struggle and fall apart, we build it back to static start  
The endless accusations, I can't believe we made it this far

I reached out, fell short  
Now you're hurt, too many words  
Breaking the silence  
I felt it, bled it, screamed it,  
It only gets worse  
And it kills me what's in me too angry for us to survive  
I used too many words tonight

Waking alone tomorrow, has gotta be better than this

I reached out, fell short  
Now you're hurt, too many words  
Breaking the silence  
I felt it, bled it, screamed it,  
It only gets worse  
I used too many words tonight  
Too many words  
Too many words  
Too many words  
Too many words

* * *

_Human_. The word tasted like dirt on her tongue. _Human_. She gave a shudder. She had been a pitiful, oh so delicate _human_. A scowl marred her forehead, fingers gripping the steering wheel until she had to remind herself that she was, in fact, a vampire and things such as leather and plastic were all too breakable. She took a deep breath, let it out. Her fingers relaxed their death grip. Katherine repeated the process.

_In and out. In and out. _

It was not to quell her temper that she did this, though anyone who knew Katherine would have assumed this. It was for the fear, the all-consuming panic that constricted around her chest like a python. She forced more air into her lungs.

_In and out. In and out.  
_  
Being human again was too close to what she had felt all those years ago, when she had found out what it meant to wear _this _face, _her _face. It was like a bucket of ice cold water had been poured over her head. All the wounds she'd thought healed had been ripped open, had salt rubbed in them.

_In and out. In and out. _

Katherine had always said that humanity was a useless, tedious thing. She had spoken of it flippantly, like it was nothing but an irritation for her. A mere inconvenience. There had never been a greater lie. Humanity was the one thing Katherine feared above all, above even Klaus. Humanity meant being beaten down, used, abused, discarded like rubbish, left to rot. It was synonymous with weakness and pity and _death_. Synonymous with everything she had been and refused to be again. _Couldn't _be again.

_In and out. In and _–

_Stop it_, she ordered herself. _You're not human. There's no need to behave like one. _She straightened, focusing on the road ahead of her as she wound her way through a city she hadn't been in for fifty years. _You're not human, Katherine._

There were more important things to worry about than her recent mortality. While she might not be human, she could very well be dead within the next five minutes if the universe wasn't on her side. She snorted, shaking her head. In that case coming here, to New Orleans, had been like signing a suicide note.

* * *

Her headlights reflected off the windows of the old colonial mansion, tires crunching on the gravel, as she pulled up outside. She cut the engine and climbed out, eyes never leaving the front door. The dread that gripped her now was not dissimilar to earlier. This time, however, it was not behind her but laid out in front of her. It did not approach her. It was almost as if it knew it would not need to. She was all but offering herself up to it. To Klaus.

Katherine wouldn't turn around though. Her entire self screamed at her, every instinct telling her to get back in that car and drive until New Orleans was nothing but specks of light in her rearview mirror. And she wanted to, wanted to but couldn't. She wasn't here for her, after all. She was here for him.

_Elijah. _

She drew both comfort and pain from his name. Comfort because she knew without a sprinkle of doubt that he would protect her, if not for her then for the feelings he used to have. Elijah was a man who respected the past, _their_ past.

There was pain because he'd left her, left _her _for his _brother_. That had stung. It went deeper than a wounded pride though. Elijah Mikaelson had done what no man had done in five-hundred years. He had caused her to relinquish the one thing she'd sworn she never would.

Her heart.

She had given it to him, bruised and tender, and trusted him with it. She had _trusted _someone. And what had he done? He had shattered it, ground it under the heel of his expensive Italian shoes, claiming honour and duty whilst he did so. _Always and forever. _She sneered at the words. _Hypocritical, self-centred, back-stabbing bastard. _She should _loathe _him. And yet, here she was. Risking her life for him. She didn't feel like analysing the _whys_.

Katherine rapped on the front door, hoping against hope that Klaus wasn't in. It seemed she was in luck. The footsteps echoing from inside the house were distinctly female, unless Klaus had taken to wearing heels. The door opened and Hayley, her not-so-dead werewolf informant, appeared. Katherine blinked, thrown for a second. Hayley was _alive_; that meant Will was that moment it took for her to recalibrate, she heard it. The fluttering of a tiny heart. Her eyes followed the source of the sound to Hayley's swollen belly._ Pregnant_, she realized with no small amount of shock. _Just like you were_, her head reminded her.

Frightened. Alone. _Pregnant._

Katherine bit back a distressing wave of emotion as memories of her daughter sprung to the surface, of that precious little bundle being ripped away, the sound of her and the baby's cries. She swallowed the lump that had accumulated in her throat. _Get a grip, Pierce. You don't have time to walk down memory lane. _She turned her attention back to the werewolf, schooling her features into her trademark smirk.

"Hayley, what a pleasant surprise."

"Likewise," Hayley replied stiffly.

"Aren't you going to invite me in?" she asked, voice arrogant.

"No," came the short answer.

Katherine stuck her foot out, preventing the door from being slammed in her face. That was _not_ something she would stand for. "That wasn't a question, wolf."

"It sure as hell sounded like one," Hayley snapped.

Katherine chuckled. It was a cold, mirthless sound. One that sounded foreign to Katherine, almost as if it didn't _fit _her. She pushed her hesitance away, this was _not _the time for her humanity to show up, and shoved passed the werewolf, striding into the foyer. Her heels clicked satisfactorily against the gleaming floorboards. She took in the lavish decorations and gave a nod of approval. Hayley watched on warily as Katherine reached out to run elegant fingers along the rich, smooth mahogany mantelpiece.

"I must admit, Klaus has good taste." She turned her head, catching Hayley's eye. "In most things anyway."

The werewolf resisted the urge to snarl. "What do you want, Katherine?"

There was no doubt in Hayley's mind that this was Katherine Pierce, the bitch who had tried to have her killed, who had lied to her, used her. Elena was too pure, even when she'd had her emotions turned off. Elena was naïve; Katherine had never been naïve. Elena could never have scared Hayley; Katherine _terrified_ her.

"Nothing much, wolf," came the flippant reply.

Hayley squared her shoulders and scowled. "Tell me or you'll wish you'd stayed under whatever rock you crawled out from."

Katherine glanced over at the werewolf and quirked an eyebrow, amused. "I see you're still pissed."

"You tried to have me killed," Hayley retorted. "Sue me for feeling a little bitter."

Shrugging, Katherine strolled into the living room and poured herself some bourbon from the decanter that sat on the piano. She tossed it back and began pouring herself another. She had to commend Klaus on his taste in alcohol. The man had a knack for it, like killing and torturing.

"Is that the only thing you feel bitter about, wolf?" she asked when she heard Hayley come up behind her.

"What are you talking about?"

Katherine tilted her glass in the direction of Hayley's baby bump. "You're knocked up, cupcake." She lifted the tumbler to her lips. "Tell me, how's Klaus dealing with impending fatherhood?"

Hayley stiffened and Katherine knew she'd been right in her assumption that Klaus was the father. It was a simple conclusion. Why else would Klaus want a pregnant werewolf around if the child was not his? Katherine watched the fear Hayley had so brilliantly been managing to hide seep onto her face, hands clutching at her stomach. Katherine remembered that fear, the fear for a child, for _her _child. It was a fear that clamped around your heart until there was nothing else but it. Her expression, against her will, softened a fraction.

"I'm not here to harm you or the baby, Hayley." Her voice was almost soft, almost kind. "I'm here to talk to Elijah. That's all."

Hayley didn't relax for a second. It was understandable; Katherine _had _tried to kill her once. "He's not here."

"I can wait," Katherine replied, settling herself on one of the sofas with another glass of bourbon. "I have all the time in the world."

* * *

There was a knock at the front door and Katherine paused in the act of swirling her fourth glass of bourbon. Her head tilted slightly. She could hear the measured beating of a heart, a _vampire's _heart. It wasn't Elijah's, nor was it Klaus', nor Rebekah's. She knew theirs as well as her own.

She was immediately cautious. A natural response for someone who had spent five-hundred years surviving on caution and ruthlessness alone. There was an unknown vampire outside that was most probably stronger than her and she had no idea whether or not it was friend or foe.

"Were you expecting someone?" she asked Hayley.

The werewolf shook her head, still wary enough of the vampire sitting across from her not to lie. "No."

Another thought occurred to Katherine and her expression darkened. "Who did you call, wolf?"

"I've been with you the entire time," Hayley pointed out indignantly. "How could I have?"

She nodded. "Stay here then and be quiet," she told Hayley. Katherine squared her shoulders, slipping into her Katherine Pierce façade like an old glove. "This won't take long."

With slow, calculated footsteps, she approached the front door and opened it, leaning against the frame, hand on her hip. It was a standard Katherine disarming tactic. Her body was her most lethal weapon. A tall vampire with dark skin and even darker eyes stood before.

"And you are?" she asked, giving him a once over; he was handsome, smooth, oozing charisma.

"Marcel Gerard." _Ah_, Katherine thought to herself. _Klaus' protégé. The self-proclaimed king of New Orleans_. She watched as his eyes ran over her curves, his lips curving in appreciation. "I don't believe I've had the pleasure of meeting you before."

"Probably because I'm not usually within sniffing distance of Klaus. You'll have heard of me though," she told him confidently. "I'm Katherine Pierce." A knowing light came to his eyes and her lips twisted into a smirk. "Thought so."

"Well well, it _is_ a pleasure to meet you, Ms Pierce."

He lifted a hand to his lips and she tried not to yank her hand away. She didn't want him touching her. Unusual, she knew, but there was only one man she wanted right now. She kept a pleasant expression plastered on her face. Marcel was older than her and he had a legion of vampire followers behind him. She had to be careful or Klaus would be the least of her worries.

"The feeling's mutual," she said, subtly wiping her hand on the back of her jeans. "What do you want?"

From his expression, it seemed he appreciated her ballsy attitude. "Can I come in?"

"Afraid not. The master of the house isn't here at the moment." There was steel in her voice, steel that Hayley had to admire. The women was a force of nature. "I'll be sure to tell him you dropped by."

Marcel's hand flashed out, preventing her from closing the door. "That wasn't a question, princess."

"That's funny," Katherine chirped, narrowing her eyes. "I don't care."

His expression hardened then relaxed into casual charm. Katherine could tell it was forced. It was obvious and she knew it was purposeful. A tactic to let her know that he was _letting _her get away with it. _You're walking on thin ice, Katherine_, she thought to herself and something knotted in her stomach.

"You obviously don't know how things work around here," he said.

"I think I can guess," Katherine drawled, stepping out onto the porch. She circled him, running her fingertips along his muscled bicep. "You tell people to jump, they ask how high. You're the _king_."

He chuckled. "Sounds about right."

Katherine leaned in close, lips brushing his earlobe. "Unfortunately for you, I don't _jump _for anyone. Least of all for the likes of _you_."

Before Marcel had time to react, Katherine had snapped his neck. His body fell to the floor like a lead ball and her shoulders sagged with relief. She'd almost felt _scared_ for a second there, a second when she'd been sure he was going to discover that she wasn't five-hundred years old anymore. It was becoming harder, she found, to keep up the image of Katherine Pierce, ruthless and cold-hearted, when these emotions kept battering her from all sides. She felt like a shell being tossed around in the waves.

Hayley emerged from the lounge, grudging admiration in her eyes. The werewolf had never liked Katherine, especially after the brunette had broken her promise to help her find her family, but even Hayley had to admit that she had a flair about her, so unlike her boring, compassionate, moralistic counterpart.

"I knew there was something I liked about you," she said by way of thank you, toeing Marcel's temporarily dead body with the tip of her boot. "Though I must admit you kind of ruined it when you tried to have me killed."

Katherine never took her eyes off Marcel. "He's not going to be down for long and when he wakes he's going to be pissed." Her voice was low and urgent. "You need to get out of here. Is there anywhere safe you can go?"

Confused by her odd behaviour, Hayley nodded. "I know a place where vampires can't enter."

"How far away is it?"

"Not far."

Marcel's fingers began to twitch and Katherine all but shoved Hayley out the door, handing her the keys to her car. "Go there and stay there. Don't come back."

The Katherine in her was yelling, asking her what the hell she was doing. What the hell _was _she doing? She didn't know. That was the problem. She _should _be getting out of here before anyone realized she was a newborn but a part of her - the sweet peasant girl - also told her that she couldn't leave this poor, pregnant werewolf. It told her that she had to make sure Hayley didn't become a bargaining chip, didn't become embroiled in all this, didn't become like _her_. Katherine didn't like the werewolf but she would never willingly wish this life on anyone. Except Elena.

"Leave," she ordered again when Hayley didn't move.

The werewolf hesitated; there was something odd about Katherine. She wasn't acting like the manipulative, cold-hearted bitch she knew her to be. "What about you?"

Katherine flashed her a grin, letting her fangs show. "I can take care of myself."

Hayley nodded and moved as fast as her pregnant belly would allow her. Her instinct to protect her child overriding her sudden concern for Katherine Pierce. Katherine waited until the car had pulled away from the street and the sound had faded into the traffic before she turned back to Marcel. She would stall him as long as she could, as long as it took for Hayley to get away.

She knew how out of character this was for her. She had come to the realization that she didn't care. The name _Katherine Pierce_ was beginning to fade and the legend was becoming further and further from the truth. Katherine was finding herself being weighed down by the enigma. She had always taken pride in who she was, in _what _she was. Revelled in it. Now it tired her. Instead of wearing the disguise, the disguise was wearing her. And it was heavy.

Marcel gasped and sat up, eyes wide and dazed, tearing her from her thoughts. She took a deep breath and crossed her arms over her chest, smirking down at him.

"Hey there, Sleeping Beauty," she drawled. "Nice nap?"

His head snapped in her direction and in the blink of an eye, he slammed her into the wall, causing the whole house to shudder and her to gasp. She _felt _the bruises forming. Her pride was bruised as well. When had it come to this?

"What the hell did you do, Katherine?" he demanded.

Katherine shrugged. "I stalled. I thought it was obvious."

"Why are you _helping _Klaus?"

She shoved him off her, not letting on that it had taken most of her strength to do so. "Why are _you _against him?" she asked. "Didn't he save you from a miserable, painful fate as a slave? Seems a little ungrateful to me."

Marcel growled at her, lunging. She darted out the way but wasn't quite fast enough and his blow sent her crashing onto the hard wooden floor. Blood dripped from her broken nose, falling onto the wooden floorboards beneath her. It had been a while since someone had managed to do that, to catch her off guard and she cursed her doppelganger. If she had the time, Katherine would see Elena rot in hell. She had to wait for a moment as her jaw and nose healed then she got to her feet and faced Marcel.

"That was rude," she stated, unfazed. She could taste her own blood as it dripped from her nose over her lips.

His hand circled her throat, crushing it until she began to see black spots. She hadn't even seen him coming at her. "Why are you here, Katherine?"

"Why are _you _here?" she rasped; she wanted to piss him off. "Perhaps this is why Klaus has almost succeeded in taking your kingdom. You get distracted so _easily_."

It worked. His eyes turned red and veins rippled from beneath them. "If you won't tell me," he said, voice cold, "then I'll just have to torture it out of you."

"You're welcome to try," she spat.

"I intend to."

He snapped her neck and Katherine's world went black.

* * *

When Elijah returned home, the first thing he did was call for Hayley. Though his brother's paranoia had created the illusion that Elijah was falling for the young werewolf, Elijah knew this to be false. Hayley held the hope for his brother's redemption. The hope that his family could be reunited. That was all. He gravitated towards her as a companion, a friend for she reminded him of _her_, of Katerina. Hayley had that same spitfire attitude, that same callousness he somehow found endearing. He was fond of Hayley; he was in love with Katerina. He still felt that love resonate within him.

"Hayley," he called again.

His brow furrowed when he got no reply. Moving through the house as a blur, he checked her room but there was no trace of her. His nostrils flared. She had been here, not long ago; her scent of forest and gardenia's lingered. Where could she have gone? Perhaps to visit her werewolves in the bayou, or she maybe had convinced Rebekah to take her with.

He was just about to pull out his phone and call Rebekah when he noticed the droplets of blood on the foyer floor. There had been a fight. With a sinking feeling in his stomach, he crouched down, dipped a finger into one of the small crimson puddles then brought it to his nose and inhaled. It was the cool, vanilla scent of a vampire's blood. He touched his finger to his tongue and drew in a sharp breath. He would know that taste anywhere; it was Katerina's blood. She had been here. Even as his heart sped up, dread filled him. What had she done?

He whipped out his phone and called Rebekah, who answered on the first ring. _"Goodbye means goodbye, Elijah –"_

"Is Hayley with you?" he interrupted her, hoping against hope that she was.

_"What?" _came Rebekah's reply. _"What's going on, Elijah?"_

"Katerina was here," he said through gritted teeth. "Hayley's missing."

There was a brief silence then Rebekah's feral snarl rung in his ears, echoing the monster inside him. It was accompanied by the screech of tires. _"I'm coming and when I find Katherine, I'm going to rip her to shreds. Don't you dare try and stop me, Elijah. Not even _you_ can save her this time."_

His sister hung up and the silence was deafening. Elijah straightened, staring at that crimson puddle, torn. His heart told him to warn Katerina but his head told him that it was time he let her go. This love for her would destroy him in the end. If it hadn't already. Perhaps it was time he listened to his head.

The door swung open and Klaus strode in. From the way his face was set, Elijah could tell he was furious. "Brother?"

"Marcel was here," Klaus said, voice colder than ice.

Elijah gestured to the blood on the floor and with three little words, he signed Katerina's death sentence. "As was Katerina."

Klaus's eyes flashed. "Katerina?" He made her name sound like a curse.

Elijah felt a part of him break. He wouldn't save her, not after this. He couldn't keep forgiving her. "Hayley's missing, Niklaus."

Klaus's face darkened to a storm cloud, lightning snapping in his eyes. A car pulled up outside the house, headlights hitting the brothers. Klaus and Elijah's heads both snapped in its direction, watching with amazement as Hayley climbed out, hand across her swollen stomach. Elijah was by her side in an instant, hands resting on her shoulders.

She jumped slightly when he appeared then glared at him. "Don't_ do_ that, Elijah. You're going to give me a heart attack."

"Are you or the baby hurt?" he asked, searching her for any injuries.

"I'm fine. _We're _fine."

Klaus appeared beside them and his nostrils flared, veins rippling under his eyes. "This car reeks of Katerina Petrova."

"Well, that's because it's her car," Hayley said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Where is she?" Elijah wanted to know, releasing her shoulders.

"Yes," Klaus put in, voice light. "Where is the lovely Katerina? I think she's past her sell-by date."

Hayley shook her head slowly, confusion clouding her face, and her next words told them why. "I know what you're thinking and you've got it wrong. Katherine didn't take me; she _helped _me."

Both brothers blinked at her words. "What?" Elijah finally said, not sounding as composed as he usually would.

"Katherine turned up" – she nodded at Elijah – "asking for you." She saw hope flash across Elijah's face before he hid it under his usual, stoic mask. "I told her you were out and she said she'd wait. Marcel showed up." Klaus let out a low hiss; his progeny would die for this. "She snapped his neck, gave me her car keys and told me to go."

Elijah just stared at her, disbelieving. Klaus clearly shared the same view and he eyed Hayley sceptically. "Have you been drinking, sweetheart?"

Hayley tossed her dark hair indignantly, chin lifting. "I'm telling the truth, Klaus. Katherine protected me from Marcel."

"Where is she then?" Elijah asked. He was trying to keep his emotions in check. A futile effort, that had always been impossible when it concerned Katerina. "Katerina is older than Marcel and she's a formidable opponent. I doubt he could've taken her against her will."

"Perhaps, you're overestimating our dear Katerina," Klaus said bitterly. "Your fondness for her is clouding your senses."

"She managed to outsmart you for over five-hundred years, Niklaus," Elijah reminded him evenly. "Don't be such a fool as to pretend you don't know what she's capable of."

Klaus shrugged, brushing off his brother's words, a casual smile on his face. "It's not our problem anymore, brother. Let's not fight over it."

"You're _not_ going to help her?" Hayley asked, incredulous. "Granted, she's a complete bitch but she saved my life, Klaus."

"After she tried to end it, if you recall," Klaus pointed out.

"She didn't have to do that," Hayley continued as if he hadn't said anything. "If she hadn't been here, I would be with Marcel by now." She shuddered at the thought, fingers clutching her stomach tighter. "I would be _dead._"

"As heartfelt as that was, I'm going to have to decline. If we show an interest in retrieving Katerina, Marcel will have an advantage over us," Klaus told her. "I cannot allow that to happen."

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his brother stiffen. Klaus sighed. His brother's affection for the firebrand doppelganger rivalled his devotion to Klaus. This was a fact Klaus knew all too well and was not inclined to accept. He needed absolute loyalty from his siblings, _especially _Elijah. Turning to face his eldest brother, he directed his next words at him.

"There can be _no _weaknesses in this game we're playing. Is that understood?"

Elijah's jaw was tight and his body was rigid but he managed a nod. "You have my word."

Klaus, satisfied at this for Elijah never broke his word, turned and blurred into the night. No doubt off to cause some poor soul unimaginable pain. Hayley, once she was sure Klaus was out of earshot, laid a hand on the eldest Original's arm. He glanced down at her. She saw the intention brimming in his dark eyes and a small smile tugged at her lips.

"You're not going to leave her." It wasn't a question.

His lips curved just a little. "I couldn't if I tried. I've never been able to leave Katerina."

Hayley nodded. "I'll cover for you. I may hate her but she saved my life. I don't take that lightly."

* * *

**So, better or worse? Lemme know.**


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